Well apparatus including a tool for use in shifting a sleeve within a well conduit

Abstract

Well apparatus is disclosed in which a tool is lowered on a pipe string into a well conduit for shifting a sleeve slidably mounted within a tubular housing connected as part of the well conduit. The sleeve has vertically spaced grooves about its inner diameter, and the tool has latches which are selectively moved into and out of engagement with a selected groove in the sleeve in response to the control of the pressure of fluid within the tool. When engaged in a groove, the tool may be raised or lowered with the pipe string to raise or lower the sleeve.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A tool for use in shifting a sleeve between upper and lower positions within a well conduit, wherein the sleeve has a groove about its inner surface having oppositely facing ends, said tool comprising: a tubular body adapted for connection to a pipe string for lowering into the well conduit and having windows spaced about its circumference,   a beam received in each window for guided radial movement with respect to the body and having inner and outer sides and opposite ends with a dog on its outer sides intermediate its ends,   a sleeve extending longitudinally within the body to form annular spaces between them at the ends of the windows and in which the ends of the beams are received, each beam having an inner end facing the end of the other beam and an outer end,   a piston longitudinally slidable within each annular space,   means for admitting fluid within the body to the outer end of each piston, so that, when its pressure is raised to a predetermined level, the inner ends of the pistons are urged against the outer ends of the beams to force the beam to bend outwardly away from the sleeve to a position in which, upon movement of the body with the pipe string vertically within the well conduit, the dog will be forced into the groove in the sleeve when the dog is opposite the groove,   said dog having a shoulder which faces one end of the groove, when disposed therein, to permit the sleeve to be shifted from one position to another upon vertical movement of the tool body with the pipe string, and   a bow spring retained on the inner sides of the beams and arranged to retract the beams and thereby remove the dogs from the groove, following shifting of the sleeve and a predetermined reduction in such pressure, whereby the tool may be moved vertically within the well conduit.     
     
     
       2. A tool as in claim 1, including means responsive to a predetermined vertical force applied to the pipe string, when the dogs are in the groove, to release at least one end of the beam to move outwardly so that said beam may return to its retracted position. 
     
     
       3. A tool as in claim 1, wherein the body has reduced diameter sections sealably engaged with the sleeve of the outer ends of the pistons and having at least one orifice which passes through it. 
     
     
       4. A tool as in claim 3, wherein each piston also has an orifice which passes through it and a one-way check valve in the orifice which opens in a direction toward the adjacent piston. 
     
     
       5. A tool as in claim 3, wherein each piston also has an orifice which passes through it and a valve in the orifice arranged to permit fluid at a predetermined pressure to be relieved. 
     
     
       6. A tool as in claim 3, including another piston sealably slidable in the annular space on the side of each reduced diameter portion of the body opposite the first mentioned piston. 
     
     
       7. A well apparatus, comprising: a housing connectible in a well conduit and having a bore therethrough,   a sleeve vertically shiftable in the bore between upper and lower positions and having a groove about its inner surface, and   a tool for shifting the sleeve between its upper and lower positions, comprising a tubular body connectible to a pipe string for lowering into the well conduit,   latches carried by the body for radial movement between a retracted position in which the tool moves freely through the sleeve and an expanded position in which the latches will engage in the groove when opposite thereto,   the groove and each latch having shoulders which, when the latches are engaged in the groove, to engage with one another to permit the sleeve to be shifted from a first to a second position upon vertical movement of the tool with the pipe string,   means for moving the latches from their retracted to their expanded positions in response to a predetermined increase in the pressure of fluid within the tool body, and   means yieldably urging the latches to their retracted positions so that, upon a predetermined reduction in such pressure, the latches may be retracted from the groove to permit the tool to move with the pipe string vertically out of the sleeve.     
     
     
       8. Well apparatus as in claim 7, wherein there is an annular recess about the bore of the housing which has a shoulder at one end, and each latch has a raised shoulder thereon in position to engage with the shoulder at one end of the recess, as the sleeve is shifted to its second position, so as to force the latches out of the groove and thus free the tool to move vertically with the pipe string.   
     
     
       9. Well apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the raised shoulders of the latches are of such size as to prevent their entry between the end of the sleeve and shoulder at one end of the recess if the sleeve is already shifted to such second position.   
     
     
       10. A well apparatus, comprising: a housing connectible to a well conduit and having a bore therethrough,   a sleeve vertically shiftable in the bore between upper and lower positions and having vertically spaced grooves about its inner surface, and   a tool for shifting the sleeve between its upper and lower positions, comprising a tubular body connectible to a pipe string for lowering into the well conduit,   latches carried by the body for radial movement between a retracted position in which the tool moves freely through the sleeve and an expanded position in which the latches will engage in a selected groove when opposite thereto,   each groove having a shoulder at one end facing in an opposite direction to a shoulder at the end of the other groove, and   each of the latches having shoulders facing in opposite directions one of which will, when the latches are expanded, engage with a shoulder of the selected groove to permit the sleeve to be shifted from first to second position upon movement of the tool with the well conduit in one vertical direction,   means for moving the latches to their expanded positions in response to a predetermined increase in the pressure of fluid within the tool body, and   means yieldably urging the latches to their retracted positions so that, upon a predetermined reduction in such pressure, the latches may be retracted from the groove to permit the tool to move with the pipe string vertically out of the sleeve.     
     
     
       11. A well apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the sleeve is received in a recess in the bore of the housing which has a shoulder at each end, and   the latches have raised shoulders thereon in position to engage with a shoulder at one end of the recess, as the sleeve is shifted to one of its positions, so as to force the latches out of the groove and thus free the tool to move vertically with the pipe string.   
     
     
       12. A well apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the latches and raised shoulders of each latch are of such size as to prevent entry of the shoulders between the shoulders of the ends of the sleeve has and recess if the sleeve already shifted to such one position.   
     
     
       13. A well apparatus, comprising a plurality of housings connectible in vertically spaced-apart relation within a well conduit and each having a bore therethrough,   a sleeve vertically shiftable in the bore of each housing between upper and lower positions and having a groove about its inner surface, and   a tool for use in shifting each sleeve between its upper and lower positions, comprising a tubular body connectible to a pipe string for lowering into the well conduit,   latches carried by the body for movement between a retracted position in which the tool moves freely through each sleeve and an expanded position in which the latches will engage in the groove of one sleeve when opposite thereto,   the groove of each sleeve and each latch having opposed shoulders which, when the latches are expanded into the groove of that sleeve, are engageable with one another to permit the sleeve to be shifted between its upper and lower positions upon vertical movement of the tool with the pipe string,   means for moving the latches to their expanded positions in response to a predetermined increase in the pressure of fluid within the tool body, and   means yieldably urging the latches to their retracted positions so that, upon a predetermined reduction in such pressure, the latches may be retracted from the groove to permit the tool to move with the pipe string vertically out of the sleeve and into a position for shifting another sleeve.     
     
     
       14. A well apparatus as in claim 13, wherein each sleeve is received in a recess in the bore of the housing which has a shoulder at one end, and   the latches have raised shoulders thereon on each side of the latches, in position to engage with a shoulder at one end of each groove, as the sleeve is shifted to one of its positions, so as to force the latches out of the groove and thus free the tool to move vertically with the pipe string.   
     
     
       15. A well apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the latches and raised shoulder of each latch are of such size as to prevent entry of the latches between the ends of the sleeve and each groove if the sleeve is already shifted to such one position.